UN Decade for Cryospheric Sciences enters its "Ice Age".
- M Abti
- Jan 3
- 4 min read
In the heart of summer 2024 (August), the United Nations General Assembly - UNGA - adopted a specific resolution to celebrate the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences from 2025 to 2034. The cryosphere identifies that portion of the Earth's crust covered by frozen water: snow, ice, glaciers. Its role is far from being underestimated, representing the needle in the balance of climate evolution while storing up to 70% of the Planet Earth's fresh water resources. Thus, its preservation is directly linked to sea levels. Furthermore, it sustains unique ecosystems that allow human life through water supply, together with preventing living beings from hazardous phenomena like floods and avalanches.
This initiative, strongly supported by the Republic of France and the Republic of Tajikistan, and sponsored by a coalition of nations, aims to encourage cross-border international scientific cooperation committed to reverse the downward climate-change trend which is threatening severely glaciers, ice sheets, and permafrost.
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation - UNESCO - was appointed as the reference player to manage and coordinate the action plan, in the footsteps of its long-lasting legacy in terms of environmental preservation and scientific advancement. UNESCO has therefore been called to work closely with governmental decision makers, scientific communities, relevant UN agencies, and other stakeholders to implement a comprehensive multi-annual program aimed at addressing the challenges connected to cryospheric changes.
"Glaciers and ice sheets are a critical component of the hydrological cycle and (...) the current accelerated melting and retreat of glaciers and melting of ice sheets have severe impacts on the climate, global sea level, the environment, the maintenance of human well-being and health and sustainable development", abstract from UN General Assembly, Resolution No. A/78/L.99, 18th July 2024.
The approval of this resolution proves to be of prime importance from the outset because of its beneficial consequences, putting the urgent need for action in the spotlight to combat the irreversible loss of millennia-old ice. These ecosystems, in fact, contribute to maintaining the temperatures of our Planet within conditions favourable to life by avoiding extreme heat waves. That depends on their albedo (= reflectivity) potential. The icy surfaces, white in colour, reflect and scatter sunlight back to space.
The more the ice melts, the more the ocean and land (darker) surfaces extend, increasing the planet's ability to absorb heat and retain it in Earth's atmosphere while releasing further greenhouse gases, the so called ice-albedo feedback, considered as one of the major factors in climate change.
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation - PA2F - is being actively engaged in promoting research and development in the field Cryospheric Sciences under the umbrella of UNESCO leadership. Launched in 2022, and for a duration of five years, the Polar Initiative represented a pioneering and crucial project focused on cryosphere and how it influences social, economic and environmental paradigms, at global scale. A targeted set of capacity-building, awareness campaigns and conservation actions have been put in place, in partnership with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research - SCAR - and the International Arctic Science Committee - IASC.
In the second half of March 2025, the PA2F participated actively to the launching of the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences introducing the Monaco's style approach grounded on a closer collaboration among scientists, policy makers, the private sector and philanthropic funders, to build up concrete actions.
At the beginning of June 2025, on the occasion of the third edition of the United Nations Ocean Conference - UNOC3 - the Polar Donours Roundtable - PDR - was officially kicked off within the Cryosphere Pavilion at the ‘La Baleine’ green zone - Palais des Expositions in Nice (French Riviera). The event, in collaboration with the Albedo Foundation for the Cryosphere, Oceans5, the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation and the Blue Nature Alliance.
H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, pointed out, on that occasion: « I am delighted that we can now take a key step forward together and launch this new initiative, which I am convinced will be a milestone (...). A platform created by and for donors - donors ready to commit resources and act now, and eager to do so in the most impactful way ».
🎬 Official video introducing the Decade for Cryospheric Sciences © UNESCO
The declaration by the United Nations General Assembly - UNGA - can really lead to significant results that facilitate the advancement of scientific research towards a closer cooperation in the field of cryosphere aiming at developing mitigation and adaptation strategies to face the challenges of climate change over the next decade.
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 2025 is classified as one of the warmest year on record, continuing in the negative trend of heat concentrations, a condition that has lasted since 2015. Studies equally demonstrate how most of the excess energy produced by our Planet (around 90%) are transformed into heat that warms the oceans, while the long-term sea-level rise nearly doubled between 1993 and 2002, as satellite observation has shown. ***
✒️ Maurice Abbati
Strategic Communication Specialist, Editor in Chief, Journalist, Executive.
Lecturer and Author in English in the field of Environmental Communication to foster Circular and Blue Economy.
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